Chris Jarvis (presenter)


Martin Christopher Jarvis is an English actor, presenter and writer who has appeared on BBC television since 1992, apart from 2000–2002 when he was working with ITV and Channel 4. In 2019 he started a radio station for children called Little Radio.

Career

Early career

Chris Jarvis started his entertainment career as a presenter on Radio Orwell in Ipswich hosting a Saturday morning children's show. He also performed in cabaret and at Butlins.
He made his name in the early 1990s on Children's BBC, presenting from the "Broom Cupboard" alongside Zoe Ball and Josie d'Arby as well as hosting his own shows like Look Sharp. Chris wrote a lot of material for Children's BBC himself and created several memorable characters including "The Anorak".
In 1997, Chris was part of The Friday Zone with Debra Stephenson, Peter Simon, Dominic Wood, Steve Rock and Emma Lee. They released a single called "Glasses" as a spin-off from the programme, to raise money for Comic Relief.
He then hosted Fully Booked with Tim Vincent and Gail Porter for a few years. He has appeared on many other TV shows including Short Change, Exclusive, Playdays and Soap Fever.

CBeebies

Chris was one of the original line up of CBeebies presenters, alongside Pui Fan Lee, Sidney Sloane, and Sue Monroe everyday. From March 2007 until his departure on 26 January 2009 he presented alongside Lee from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm with Discover and Do, then the Bedtime Hour from 6:00 pm and again on BBC Two in the mornings. He starred in Step Inside as Mr Mopple the storyteller before going on to write and star in Show Me Show Me.
Show Me Show Me, which he co-presents with Pui Fan Lee, is broadcast on CBeebies. The first 40 half-hour episodes were broadcast on the CBeebies channel, BBC One and BBC Two from Monday 6 July 2009 every weekday at 10:00 am and 1:30 pm. Series 5 was filmed on location near Manchester in 2013.
Chris and Pui regularly appear in other CBeebies shows including Justin's House and the annual Christmas shows; in 2012 Chris wrote Jack and the Beanstalk and played Dame Trott. He has also appeared in productions of Shakespeare plays that have aired on CBeebies playing Snout in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and King Alonso in The Tempest.
Since 2010, Chris and Pui have toured the UK with The Chris and Pui Roadshow.
Besides Show Me Show Me he also presents CBeebies Stargazing with Maggie Aderin-Pocock and has presented the CBeebies Prom at the Royal Albert Hall.

Acting

As an actor Chris Jarvis has appeared in The Demon Headmaster and ChuckleVision, and played Mr Mopple in early CBeebies story-telling programme Step Inside. He also presented Maths Mansion.

Music

Jarvis hosts family concerts for the London Philharmonic Orchestra LPO and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
He has been seen playing piano, guitar, glockenspiel and bell-ringing on Show Me Show Me.

Pantomime

Jarvis has appeared in pantomimes professionally every year since 1995, and prior to that had performed in several as an amateur. Since 2001, he has written and directed many of these pantomimes as well.
Jarvis has been involved with several televised pantomimes on CBeebies, including 2012’s Jack and the beanstalk which he wrote and starred Dame Trot, 2011's Strictly Cinderella which he co-wrote, and starred in as Baron Hardup, 2010's Aladdin and 2009's Jack & Jill.

Personal life

Chris Jarvis was born in Romford, London, and lives in Billericay.
He is the godfather to one of Pui Fan Lee's sons.
He is 5'9" tall.

Filmography

TitleYearRoleNotes
The Broom Cupboard1993–1997Himself
Wood Lane TV1995–1997Actor / Writer
The Anorak1994–1996Actor
Look Sharp1994–1995 Presenter
Get Your Own Back1995Himself
Playdays1995–1997 Presenter
Short Change1998Presenter
Fully Booked1998–2000 Presenter
To Me, To You!1996, 1998Himself
The Friday Zone1997Himself CBBC
'1997HimselfTV film, played a fictionalised version of himself
'1998Your Wildest Dreams host
Mr Wymi1998Hacker tracker
ChuckleVision1998Head page
ChuckleVision Comic Relief Special1999Music Mogul
Night Fever1999-12-18Himself
Catchphrase2000–2002Himself
Dream Street1999–2002Hot Rodney, Amber & Scarlet
Jungle Run2001–2002Himself
Step Inside2002Mr Mopple
CBeebies2002–2009PresenterPresented links between programmes
Maths Mansion2001-2003Sad Man/Bad Man-
Planet Cook2004-2005
Underground Ernie2006Circle & CityVoice role
Show Me Show Me2009 – presentHimself